Chapter Nine

 Don’t trust Ramon.

She had received a warning, and stupidly, she had thought that she could outsmart him if she ever got into trouble. And now she couldn’t even open a door.

When did he lock it? Why did I have to come in?

Expeditiously, she kept tugging at the door handle, trying not to make it to obvious that she was trying to make an escape.

“What are you doing?” Ramon asked. She heard him come to her and she felt panic balloon in her chest. Her hands moved faster and then she almost fell over sideways in her haste to move away from him when he stood beside her.

“What did you do?” He looked at her as if she had gone crazy. He pulled down the door handle and then glanced her way again as she grasped her book bag and tried to remember if she had anything in it that she could use as a weapon. “You locked it.” Shaking his head, he pressed his thumb into the small circular button in the middle of the handle.

When the door opened, Adira felt as if she could breathe again. She quickly stepped out and headed to the elevators.

“Are you feeling alright?”

She turned to him and gave him a blazing look. “Stop asking me questions.”

Ramon looked confused as she kept pressing the buttons but the elevator was stuck at the third floor.

“You’re acting weird.” He said, taking a step out.

Adira looked for an alternate escape and saw a door that led to the staircase.

Ramon took another few steps. “Wait a minute, are you actually afraid of me?”

“Of course not,” she spouted and then inched closer to the stairs.

Much to her chagrin, Ramon started to snicker. She gritted her teeth and went down the stairs, grumbling and berating herself for being so transparent.

Looking up, she wished she had closed the door because she could still hear him laughing.

“Ugh!” she opened the door that led to the floor below when she realized it would be plain stupid to run down so many flight of stairs.

Still seething, she went over to the elevators and then stopped when she saw a small rectangular sign that informed she was on the twenty-second floor.

Sibyl’s floor.

Looking down the passage, she saw Sibyl’s apartment door. As if she was being drawn towards it, she left the elevator and walked toward it and stopped. Her hand traced the numbers and then fell on the door handle.

The last time she had come here, it had been open. Correction, left open by Ramon. When she pushed it down, she found that the door wouldn’t budge.

“What the hell?” She tried a few more times before she heard a voice at the end of the passage.

“It’s locked,” Ramon said, coming toward her in long strides.

Adira masked her astonishment at seeing him with an icy stare. He removed a key from his pocket and this time she couldn’t hold back. “Why do you have a key to Sibyl’s apartment?”

“We were friends. I told you. She wanted me to have a spare in case of emergencies.” Ramon started to slide the key in and then noticed her still glaring at him. “Wait.” He went over to once of the vases kept on the decorative tables in the corridors and sunk his fingers into them. He brought out a key and handed it to her. “Here you go. You can have this and come and go, whenever you please.”

Adira narrowed her eyes but took it and went over to the door. She had to know for sure that the key would work. When it went in and she heard a clicking sound, she turned to him. “Why did Sibyl keep one hidden outside?” She pushed opened the door and walked in.

“She lost hers once and was locked out,” Ramon explained. “After that incident, she gave me one and hid another one.”

Adira glanced around at the apartment and let out a breath.

Sibyl really did trust him enough to give him a key. Then why was someone telling her not to trust him?

She started toward the bedroom and then paused when she heard Ramon’s footsteps. “Why are you following me around?”

Turning around, she saw Ramon hesitate. “I’ve been around here several times after Sibyl disappeared, trying to find a clue. Maybe you can find something that I couldn’t.”

Adira shook her head, sadly. “I don’t think so. I really didn’t know my sister. I don’t know what she had been doing for the past ten years.”

“My hunch is, Sibyl resorted to her old habits. She wouldn’t want the people she met over the years to guess her secrets.” Ramon ran a finger on the bookshelf and frowned at the dust on his fingers. “She used to have a hiding spot that you guessed. Where else would she have wanted to hide things?”

Adira turned away from him, without responding.

Even if I can guess Sibyl’s secrets, should I really trust him when I’m being warned not to?

Ramon’s phone rang and he excused himself. She was entering the bedroom when she heard him tell someone over the phone that he would be back in the office in an hour.

Adira frowned. The office wasn’t far from here and she didn’t want to spend any time with him. Her hand was on the door handle, when the phone beeped. She immediately reached for Sibyl’s phone, identifying it by the different sound.

It was a message from her mysterious sender. “I know you don’t like coffee. How about we meet for tea sometime?”

Adira turned around and scratched her hair. Sibyl didn’t like coffee? She used to drink it so much, especially when she was reading books. What should I reply back?

She was walking by the kitchen, when she caught a glance of something atop the brown wooden cabinets. Taking a step back, she could just about make out a metallic tin in the corner.

Adira peeked out, saw Ramon was still busy on the phone and then entered the kitchen. A quick look around showed that there was no stool to climb on. Recalling the way her sister would climb over gates, fences and kitchen counters, she pulled herself up on the white marble kitchen counters. Slowly, she stood from her sitting position and grabbed the handles on the cabinets for support.

Glad that she was wearing heels to provide more height, she raised one arm to reach the can, while the other fearfully clutched the cabinet for support. When she retrieved the can from the corner, she leaned against the cabinet doors and opened the plastic cover of the tin.

When she found instant coffee inside, she frowned.

Sibyl must be really trying to quit coffee to have put it right at the top. I should be considering giving up on caffeine as well.

She was about to replace the cover, when she she spotted something silver in the powder. She dug into the can and her fingers touched something hard. Bringing the small object out, she saw it was a purple and black flash drive.

“What is this?” She asked herself. She was twirling it in her hands when she heard footsteps coming down the passage. Reflexively, she pocketed the flash drive just before Ramon entered the kitchen.  

“What are you doing up there?” He went over to her, looking concerned. “Do you want to break every bone in your body?”

Adira swallowed, hoping he hadn’t seen her with the flash drive. Somehow, she didn’t want Ramon to know anything until she could be sure she could trust him. Her elder sister trusted him, but that didn’t mean she had to automatically as well.

“I can get down by myself,” She said and lowered herself on the counter. Her show skidded against the slippery counter but managed to save herself. Ramon didn’t move, just watched her, first looking furious, then like he was inwardly laughing at her.

She sat down on the counter and scowled. “Move.”

Ramon stepped to the side as she jumped down and wiped her dusty hands on her jeans.

“What were you doing up there?”

“I thought I saw something.” She swallowed and put a hand over her jeans pocket.

“Did you?”

Adira shook her head and walked out the kitchen.

“I could have helped you, you know.” Ramon came behind her. “You have some serious trust issues.”

Adira pushed her hair back and frowned. “I like to learn my lessons quickly.” Turning to him she raised her chin. “And the most important lesson of all: not to trust anyone.”

The flicker of amusement in his died when she spoke and she hoped he understood what she meant to say.

She did not trust him.

*****

Upon reaching home, the first thing Adira did was lock the door then head over to her laptop and plugged in the flash drive. Filled with anticipation at what she may find, her excitement was diluted when she saw a message pop up, asking her for a password.

“Are you kidding me?” She wanted to pull her hair out and pinch her skin. Instead, she opted for kicking her bag so hard that both phones fell out. “Just great!”

She scooped up both phones and pressed buttons on them simultaneously. “Phew!” She said when both phones turned on. She plugged in her phone for charging while staring at the last message she had received.

She was supposed to reply back, confirming that she did want to meet whoever it was that was sending her these texts. “What do I do?”

Her phone started to ring then and she saw it was Neil. “What does he want now?” she groaned.

“Where are you?” He asked gruffly, when she had barely said hello.

“At home.”

“We have a catch-up class today. Ms. Darian wanted us to meet her in the afternoon with updates of our project.” Neil sounded annoyed and heavily stressed.

Adira pocketed Sibyl’s phone and stared at the screen where the pop up message was still asking her for a password. “What time was it?”

“Don’t you ever read the notice boards? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you around.” Neil sounded angry, but Adira also thought she heard concern in his voice. Her imagination of course.

“I’ve been busy.” She looked at her watch and saw it was almost three o’ clock.

“It’s at four,” He barked. “You better be there. I’m not failing this course because of you.”

And there it is, Neil’s signature attitude. Does he think I’m his servant?

She started to tell him that she wouldn’t come, but thought it would be too childish to do so. Besides, she needed a passing grade as well. So far, she had shunned her studies for this semester and her parents would immediately guess something was up when they saw her GPA.

“I’ll be there.” She ended the call, put her phone in the other pocket, then went over to her laptop. Later, she would figure out the password. Right now, she had to focus on her studies. She pulled out the flash drive, put it in her drawer and locked it. The key, she started to put in the drawer, then stopped. Walking into her little kitchen, she reached for the instant coffee tin she had bought but didn’t like and stuffed the flash drive in. Then she placed the tin on the topmost shelf and walked out, locking the door behind her.

*****

It was while she was walking down the street, that Adira had an idea struck her. Taking a detour, she walked down Northwest Avenue and came to Mobile HotSpot.

“Hi,” she said with a smile as she entered.

The salesman grinned back. “Welcome back. You’re not in a hurry again, are you?”

She glanced at his name tag, then leaned against the glass display. “I did want to ask you for a favor, Nolan.”

He put both hands on the display and grew serious.

“Can you retrieve deleted files on a smartphone?”

Nolan nodded. “Of course. Which phone is it?”

“Spiral-A.” She removed Sibyl’s phone. “I accidentally deleted some stuff on it.”

Nolan took the phone and switched it on. “Hmm, it is password protected.”

“What? No, it isn’t.” Adira took the phone back and pressed the home button. When a message came up on screen asking for a password, she frowned. “It wasn’t there before.”

Nolan shrugged. “So just put in the password and give it to me.”

Adira started to tell him that it wasn’t her phone and she didn’t know the password, then stopped.

I could tell him it is my sister’s phone. Or should I lie?

“It is your phone, isn’t it?” Nolan asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes,” Adira replied, without looking at him.

Great Adira, you suck at lying.

She made a face at the phone and then smiled. “Oh, I’m receiving a call. Give me a second.” She pretended to swipe on the screen, then walked out, criticizing herself heavily for not coming up with a believable excuse.

I could have said it was my boyfriend’s phone. Or that it was hacked. Or that I forgot my password and needed it to be reset.

Adira turned back, deciding which lie to tell when a text message popped up on screen.

“Don’t forget to bring the flash drive with you when we meet,” it said.

“What flash drive?” She typed back.

“The one that you hid in the coffee tin. We need to discuss what’s on it.”

Adira bit her lip. Her finger hovered on the keyboard and then she was struck by another thought. She switched off her phone and turned it on again. This time, she wasn’t asked to enter a password.

“What is wrong with this phone?”

“Let’s meet.” She typed a message. “As soon as possible.”

“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time now, Adira.” The message came within seconds. “I’ll text you soon for a safe place where we can meet.”

Adira put both phones in her bag and walked to college, lost in her thoughts about everything and then realizing she wasn’t exactly capable of handling this situation. How many times had she been warned on TV and by her parents on how one must never meet the person whom they are chatting with online? And now, she had eagerly just accepted the offer to do so.

“I have to tell mom and dad,” she said to herself. “I can’t trust anyone here and I have no friends. It’s time they know that Sibyl is missing.”